


Turtleduck

by aggiepuff, Whedonista93



Series: Zutara Week 2018 [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Prompt Fic, Turtleduck(s), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zutara, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:09:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aggiepuff/pseuds/aggiepuff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: In which Zuko is an awkward turtleduck, and gives Katara a special turtleduck.





	Turtleduck

“Ambassador!” Iroh calls jovially.

 

Katara runs across the courtyard and into his open arms. “Iroh.”

 

“You look lovely, my dear.”

 

Katara rolls her eyes. “It’s been a week since I’ve had a proper bath and I look it.”

 

Iroh chuckles and offers his arm. “Your rooms are ready for you. I am certain a bath could be arranged.

 

Katara smiles gratefully and takes his arm.

 

Katara takes a very long bath before poking through her wardrobe. When she first became the water tribe ambassador to the fire nation, she had insisted on wearing her own clothes, despite the fact the hides and furs, even the lightweight ones, were completely ill-suited to the heat of the fire nation. Gradually, her wardrobe filled with lightweight silks and cottons in various shades of blue accented with reds, and just as gradually, she gave in to wearing them… mostly because she felt guilty about the hurt looks Zuko tried to hide when she showed up to meetings and events in full water nation garb. Not that either would ever admit they knew Zuko was responsible for the clothes. She settles on a cropped sapphire top and a deep red ankle length skirt with embroidery around the hem that matches the top. She piles her hair loosely on top of her head and foregoes shoes before making her way to Zuko’s office and letting herself in the side door - she stopped knocking about the same time she accepted the new clothes.

 

Zuko’s back is to her where he’s seated at his desk across from one of his noble’s and the man’s daughter. Katara silently helps herself to tea and racks her brain for the girl’s name. She lets out a high pitched laugh and Katara remembers: Sora. Last time Katara visited, Zuko spent a solid hour griping about this woman - Sora - and her incessant pursuit of him. Her irritating laugh had consumed at least five minutes of that rant.

 

Katara finishes preparing her tea and steps up behind Zuko, gently resting a hand on his shoulder to announce her presence. Sora glares when Zuko instinctually leans into the touch.

 

Zuko finally seems to consciously register her presence and jerks upright. “Katara!” He flushes and stands. “I mean, um, Ambassador.”

 

Katara inclines her head, mostly to hide her smirk. “Firelord.”

 

Zuko turns back to the noble. “Lord Rezu, have you met Master Katara?”

 

Rezu stands and shakes his head. “I haven’t had the pleasure. An honor, Ambassador.”

 

Katara nods politely. “Pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Rezu.”

 

“I do apologize, Lord Rezu, but I was not expecting Ambassador Katara until tomorrow,” Zuko waves vaguely. “Would you mind terribly if we cut our meeting short?”

 

Rezu inclines his head. “Of course. Firelord. Ambassador.”

 

Sora bats her eyelashes at Zuko as she stands. “Firelord.”

 

Zuko’s shoulders slump the moment the door closes behind them.

 

Katara giggles. “She really doesn’t give up, does she?”

 

“No,” Zuko growls vehemently.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Zuko eyes her sideways. “No you’re not.”

 

She shakes her head, grinning. “No, I’m not.”

 

“You’re the worst.”

 

Katara shrugs.

 

Zuko rolls his eyes and snags her arm to pull her into a hug, careful not to make her spill her tea. “I’m glad you made it today. Happy birthday.”

 

Katara smiles against his chest and squeezes him back. “Thanks.”

 

He pulls back, but slides his hand down her arm to link their fingers. “Come on, I have a present for you.”

 

Katara sets her tea cup down and lets him drag her out of the office. “Zuko, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

 

“Does that ever work when I tell you the same thing?”

 

“No.”

 

“And it won’t work when you tell me either.”

 

Zuko leads her into the private residential wing, right past her own rooms, and into his. A large box, made of glass and metal and filled with water, other than a small island in one corner, sits on a low table on the balcony. A lone baby turtleduck is curled up on the island, fast asleep.

 

Katara tears her hand from Zuko’s and rushes over to coo quietly over the the little animal.

 

Zuko’s smile is small and fond. “Happy birthday.”

 

Katara looks up at him wide-eyed. “It’s mine?”

 

Zuko nods.

 

The turtleduck blinks up at her slowly.

 

Katara gently scoops it up and scratches its head.

 

It makes a happy little chirping sound at her.

 

Katara’s face melts into something completely soppy. “So cute! I’ve never seen one this little by itself.”

 

“The egg was found in an abandoned nest,” Zuko explains. “Caretakers hatched it.”

 

“Poor baby. I’ve never seen one with a red shell before either.”

 

Zuko flushes, grateful Katara’s focus is on the turtleduck so she doesn’t see. “It’s… uh, it’s not common.”

 

“Does it have a name yet?”

 

“I thought I’d let you do that.”

 

Katara beams up at him briefly before turning her attention back to the animal cupped in her palms. “What do you think little one?” She looks back up at Zuko. “Is there any way to tell if it’s a boy or a girl?”

 

Zuko shrugs. “Not at this point. When it gets older, you’ll be able to tell based on the pattern of its shell, but it’s too young for a defined pattern right now.”

 

Katara frowns and rubs its bill gently. “That’s not helpful.”

 

Zuko chuckles.

 

Katara glares. “Any ideas?”

 

Zuko shrugs. “Red?”

 

Katara rolls her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

 

“Any better ideas?”

 

“Yes, actually,” Katara scowls at him. “Pirate, but with a ‘y’ like fire. Fire pirate. Pyrate.”

 

Zuko shakes his head. “Great. I get you a thoughtful present and you use it to remind me of the most idiotic phase of my life.”

 

‘Pyrate’ makes its little chirping sound again before scrambling out of Katara’s hands and splashing into its tank. Katara and Zuko laugh at its antics.

 

Katara stands and makes her way back over to Zuko. She stretches up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, Zuko.”

 

Zuko’s lips twitch into an almost smile. “You’re welcome.”

 

* * *

 

Katara is sitting cross-legged at one of the smaller ponds in the palace gardens. All the books she’s read in the last two weeks have made it clear that young turtleducks need to be socialized, but she’s too nervous to leave Pyrate ‘alone’ to play, so she sits by the pond and creates gently swirling whirlpools for the young turtleducks to splash in. She’s in an isolated part of the gardens, so she’s surprised when she hears voices.

 

“Did you _see_ her yesterday?”

 

“Of _course_ I saw!”

 

Both voices are female, and after a moment of thinking, Kaara identifies the second voice as Sora.

 

“Well?” the first voice prompts.

 

“Well, what?”

 

“Why would he give it to _her_?”

 

“She _is_ an ambassador,” Sora doesn’t sound convinced.

 

“A red turtleduck is _not_ a gift you give an ambassador.”

 

“It’s not like they’re courting,” Sora snaps. “Oh _Agni_ , they’re not courting are they?!”

 

“How should I know?”

 

Katara sits, silent and stunned, as their voices drift away. She remains frozen until Pyrate waddles up and gently pecks her hand. Katara lifts the turtleduck obediently before standing and absently following a back path up to the palace.

 

She leaps nearly a foot in the air when a hand lands on her arm.

 

“Lady Katara?” Iroh looks worried.

 

She winces. “How many times did you say my name?”

 

Iroh chuckles. “A few.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

“What is on your mind, Master Katara?”

 

Katara bites her lip and glances at the turtleduck resting content in the crook of her arm.

 

Iroh grins slyly. “Have you not already read everything our libraries have on turtleducks?”

 

Katara blushes. “I have, but…”

 

“But?”

 

“Do, uh… is there some kind of cultural significance in giving one as a gift?”

 

Iroh smiles mysteriously, but doesn’t answer as he wanders off. Katara glares after him, sure he knows something, and grumbles vague obscenities about the Fire Nation royal family under her breath all the way back to her rooms. When she returns from her early afternoon meeting with the traders guild, there is a book in her favorite armchair with a bookmark stuck toward the back. The bookmarked page is a series of illustrations. Katara is mesmerized by the intricate details on the shell of the full grown red turtleduck for several minutes before she forces her attention the text on the next page.

 

_Red shelled turtleducks are born very rarely. The highest recorded birth rate was three in a century, in the era before Sozin’s reign. Though the origins of the custom are unclear, the symbolism is uncontested. The gift of a red shelled turtleduck is the utmost sign of devotion. It is a declaration of intent and loyalty so strong it will stand for a lifetime, even if unrequited. It is a statement of the giver to the recipient that they are unique, precious, and loved. Though never confirmed, it is rumored that Avatar Roku gifted his bride with a red shelled turtleduck on their wedding day._

 

Katara read the paragraph three times before snapping the book shut and looking at the title - it, something romantic and nonsensical that basically parsed down to ‘Fire Nation Courting Rituals’ and Katara doesn’t spare another moment before storming out of her rooms toward Zuko’s office. The town bell gongs and she remembers what time it is and changes course, heading for the training courts. She finds him in the centermost court, squaring off against four soldiers. She pulls water from the drink barrel at the corner of the court and sweeps the soldiers aside.

 

Zuko steps forward, worry clearly etched into his face. “Katara?”

 

Katara chucks the book at his head, makes sure it hits, then turns on her heel and storms away.

 

She hears Zuko curse behind her. “Katara, wait!”

 

She blindly throws up a hand to block the hall with a thick sheet of ice before sprinting off. Her first instinct is to go back to her rooms, but she knows that’s the first place he’ll look after he gets through the ice.

 

He finds her ten minutes later, creating a contained mini hurricane over a pond in the far corner of the gardens. “Katara…”

 

She looks up at him, expression carefully blank. “Did you ever think to just ask me?”

 

Zuko trips over his own feet as he’s coming toward her. “That is not what I expected you to say.”

 

Katara shrugs. “I thought about yelling.”

 

“I was prepared for that. I’m not sure what to do with… calm.”

 

“Answer the question,” Katara suggests blandly.

 

Zuko takes a deep breath and lowers himself to sit beside her. “Yeah, I thought about it.”

 

Katara lets her hurricane die and turns to face him. “Why didn’t you, then?”

 

Zuko shrugs. “Because it didn’t matter.”

 

Katara quirks an eyebrow at him.

 

He huffs out something that might be a laugh if it weren’t so brittle. “You’re it for me, Katara. It’s been like that for a long time. Whether I asked or not… that doesn’t change things for me.”

 

Katara rolls her eyes. “Wanna bet?” She leans across the space between them and kisses him. She pulls back before he has time to respond. “If you would have _asked_ , I would have been able to do that sooner.”

 

“Oh,” Zuko breathes.

 

Katara smiles at him softly and lifts a hand to his cheek, thumb gently brushing over his scar. “You’re kind of it for me too, Zuko.”

 

* * *

 

“M’lord, m’lady,” Rezu’s housekeeper steps into the sitting room, “a missive from the palace.”

 

“Well read it, then,” Sora commands. “Perhaps our dear firelord has finally come to his senses.”

 

“You are formally invited to the wedding of Firelord Zuko and Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, a fortnight hence at sunse-”

 

“He’s marrying her?!” Sora screeches. “He can’t marry some water tribe peasant! She’s-”

 

“A master waterbender who has faithfully served as ambassador to the Fire Nation since the end of the war,” a voice interrupts from the doorway.

 

Sora whips around to glare, only to freeze at the sight of the Avatar.

 

“My apologies, m’lady,” the housekeeper says blandly, “but you commanded me to read the missive so quickly I was unable to advise that it was hand delivered.”

 

“I apologize for the intrusion, Lord Rezu,” Aang inclines his head toward the noble, “but I had hoped to discuss the ideas you presented for the trade agreements with the acolyte school that you presented when we last spoke. If you share your daughter’s opinions of Master Katara, though, I’m afraid I may have to reconsider.”

 

“I assure you, Avatar Aang, that I do not share my daughter’s mind on the subject,” Rezu reassures with a glare at his daughter. “I have had limited interactions with Master Katara, but from my limited experiences with her, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Ambassador.”

 

“Excellent!” Aang smiles brightly. “Perhaps we ca-”

 

“How can you be so - ugh! She _dumped you_!” Sora snarls. “And now she’s marrying someone who’s supposed to be your friend, but you won’t do business with someone wh-”

 

“Lady Sora,” Aang cuts her off coldly, “not that our personal lives are any of your business, but Katara and Zuko are still, and always will be, two of my dearest friends and they marry with my most sincere blessing.”

 

“Sora, control yourself,” Rezu chastises. “Avatar Aang, my most sincere apologies. Perhaps we can move our business to my offices while my daughter collects herself.”

 

Aang nods graciously. “Of course.”

 

Rezu shoots a final glare at his daughter as he ushers Aang out of the sitting room.

 

“It’s a very tasteful invitation,” the housekeeper observes as Sora seethes silently. “A bit sappy for my tastes.” She turns the invitation toward Sora. The script is light and elegant, and a red turtleduck swimming across a pond adorns the bottom. “I mean, honestly, could they have used a more cliche symbol than a red turtleduck? It’s not like th-”

 

Sora lets a stream of white hot flame incinerate the invitation.

 

The housekeeper brushes the ashes off her hands, unphased, then starts laughing. “He actually gave her a red turtleduck? Oh, you never had a chance, young one.”

 

Sora throws herself across the couch with a dramatic wail and the housekeeper makes her way back to the kitchen, still laughing.


End file.
